The New Jersey State Bar Association applauds today’s decision. We sincerely appreciate the Appellate Division’s recognition of our longstanding commitment to promoting diversity within the legal profession. We have worked for many years to ensure we are taking appropriate steps to have a leadership body that reflects the profession we serve. One only needs to look around our boardroom to know those steps have worked. We are proud of the marked, measurable, and significant gains in leadership opportunities for underrepresented segments of the profession that we have seen within the organization. The members we serve as volunteers benefit in many ways because our discussion and debate are elevated by including varying and diverse perspectives, insights, and opinions at all levels of our organization’s leadership.
From the outset, we remained confident that the measures we have taken were necessary, lawful and constitutional. Based on today’s well-reasoned decision we look forward to continuing to address the critical issues facing our members with the benefit of the important voices and insightful perspectives of colleagues who are representative of our diverse legal profession in New Jersey.
Finally, we extend our gratitude to the many affinity bar associations and our members who have publicly expressed support for our efforts and have joined in defending this litigation. We are also grateful for the adroit, learned, and astute guidance of our counsel, Lawrence S. Lustberg, of Gibbons P.C.